Red Colored Night Skies
by lovetowritetoo
Summary: My entry for this month's Paint it Red contest. The challenge's prompt was: Time was never on my side. Story: How a simple airplane flight can end up in everyone's worst nightmare. An explosion, a dead pilot and two CBI-agents are stuck in the middle of the desert with one very badly injured consultant. Lisbon and Cho are the only ones who can keep Jane alive when time runs out.
1. Chapter 1

**Red-Colored Night Skies **

This story is my entry for this month's _Paint it Red contest_. The challenge's prompt was: Time was never on my side.

Story: How a simple airplane flight can end up in everyone's worst nightmare. An explosion, a dead pilot and two CBI-agents are stuck in the middle of the desert with one very badly injured consultant. Lisbon and Cho are the only ones who can keep Jane alive while a rescue party heads out to find them, running a race against time.

All chapters will be posted before the end of the month :-)

Type: This story is blatant Jane-Whumping and I do mean _Whumping!,_ with loads and loads of hurt/comfort and angst as sugar coating. Add to that some wild animals, some very bad men and there you have it.

My inspiration for this story came from a very old episode of an Australian '80's series called 'The Flying Doctors'. In that episode, a doctor, a mechanic and a pilot got stuck in the desert as the pilot was badly hurt. It got me thinking: What would happen if I were to place my three favorite characters into the same basic position (without the pilot of course)? This story is the result of that thought.

Jane/Lisbon/Cho Friendship (in my universe Jane and Lisbon are not a couple nor will they ever be, but they are the best of friends with of course the necessary comforting in place.

I've taken a bit of liberty with the area they are in, even though most of it is based on real locations and towns. Please forgive me for any medical errors I might have made. And yes, if you find spelling or grammatical errors, that's because I'm not native English.

I do not own The Mentalist characters but I sure love to toy with them.

Feedback is very much appreciated and welcomed! I try to reply to every comment personally.

**Red-Colored Night Skies **

**Chapter One **

Teresa Lisbon watched her consultant grip his chair tightly and smiled. Patrick Jane hated flying. He always had. Even for very short distances, as they were used to in the California area, he grumbled and nagged about missing his trusted car. He would prefer to drive eight hours straight instead of hopping on a plane and spending barely 50 minutes on it.

This flight was probably one of his worst nightmares as they were not on a commuter flight but in a two-engine airplane flown by the owner of one of the most magnificent vineyards of California. He was the pilot, flying his three passengers (Jane, Cho and Lisbon) over the vineyard and then over a large patch of the Great Basin Black Rock Desert. He had insisted on bringing them after they solved his son-in-law's murder. After all, it was only a forty-minute flight to the city where Rigsby and Van Pelt would be waiting for them.

It was a mere coincidence that the team had been called in for the murder. They were in Palm Springs and had just resolved another case when Bertram called them and told them about the murder on Richfield's real estate. After debriefing and a lot of pressuring from Bertram, they had decided to split up in two teams with Rigsby and Van Pelt volunteering to stay in Palm Springs and tie loose ends up there and the rest of the group heading out to the estate by rental car.

The real estate itself was the size of a small country. It took almost 2,5 hours to drive from north to south, with a beautiful ranch right in the center of it. The ranch was self-sufficient, working with solar energy, its own water supply coming from deep below the surface and generators as backup. Thirty people worked on the estate. It took the team exactly two days to find the killer and close the case.

Even though staying at the estate had almost felt like a holiday, the three of them were eager to return to Palm Springs and had been packing when Mr. Richfield told them he would bring them back and take care of their rental car. He didn't take no for answer.

Mr. Richfield was not a man who took no for an answer. He was short of stature but compensated that with a very firm demeanor, making sure that everyone who worked for him knew who was boss. Lisbon liked him and had politely taken up on the offer, calling Van Pelt and Rigsby at the Palm Springs Police Office where they had been working to let them know they were on their way by plane and would arrive before dark.

Richfield loved to brag about his wealth and had flown very low over his vineyard, miles and miles of it. He was obviously a very good pilot and adored his little plane. The fact that Jane saw green every time he took a dive towards this property to show them yet another beautiful piece of land didn't matter to him.

Finally they were passed the man's borders and over the desert, with nothing but miles and miles of sandy hills. The heat was touchable even inside the plane.

"The Great Basin is a very particular area of California," Richfield had said, his voice droning on and on about this and that. "It's split up in a lot of very different regions. The area we are flying over right now is called Black Rock Desert. You have to be careful not to get lost here. Sometimes the desert animals don't see a human being for days. During the day it's extremely hot but at night it can cool off quite a bit, especially during this part of the year. And then there are the wild animals of course. If you get lost here, you won't last very long. Quite an interesting place in nature, this is."

Jane let his voice fade out as he leaned back, praying the nightmare would be over soon.

"Help yourselves to some soda," Richfield waved with one hand as the other held onto the wheel. "I've got some nuts in the back as well. My wife's work. She takes care of things, you know? I just use them." He roared with laughter at his own joke, finally shutting up for a few moments.

"Like hell I'm going to eat something now," Jane muttered, his hands still holding firmly tight on his chair.

"Lighten up, Jane," Lisbon smiled. "We'll be there in twenty minutes. It's not that bad."

Cho, who had been looking outside to admire the scenery turned his head. "Bet you ten bucks he's going to throw up before we get there."

Jane painfully grinned, realizing Cho was probably right.

"It's a deal," Lisbon laughed, shaking hands with Cho. "I'll bet he'll hold on until we land. And then he'll throw up."

"Yeah yeah, make fun of my misery," Jane grunted, now clutching his painful stomach. "Why do you think I prefer driving myself? I'm car sick."

"And airplane sick," Lisbon added. "Relax, Jane. It's no use taking Dramamine now, we're almost there."

"If you call another twenty minutes almost…" Jane croaked. "Can someone open a window?"

"This is not a train, Jane. You can't open a window on a plane."

"Then hand me a bucket please."

"Hey guys, I see something odd," Mr. Richfield spoke from the front of the plane. "Look to your right."

The three of them leaned towards the right windows and saw smoke coming from the middle of the desert. It was black smoke, whirling towards the sun.

"That's odd," Lisbon said. "There shouldn't be anything around these parts, right? Didn't you just say this was deserted area? What do you think it is?"

"I don't know," Richmond said, "could be a house or a shack on fire or a car or truck involved in an accident. There is one road that goes through these parts but it's hardly ever used. There is a long stretch of road where I can land. I'm going down."

Jane groaned even louder. "Are you serious? Can't you just call it in and let someone else come take a look?"

"Well, that's a slight problem there," Richfield confessed. "My meters are off. I should have them checked; my wife's been nagging me about it for ages. So calling in would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. We'll just go and see ourselves and make sure that everything's okay. It won't take a minute."

"Okay," Lisbon said approvingly. "You are right, we should probably check it out. But I'd like to be in Palm Springs by evening. Our colleagues are waiting for us."

"It won't take long," Richmond replied.

"This is no-man's-land," Jane muttered, "the only thing burning here is a burning bush." But he knew he was outnumbered as his three companions were very determined to find out where the smoke was coming from. He leaned back, closed his eyes and tried hard not to spill his bile all over the plane as Richfield brought it down efficiently and landed perfectly on the road.

The heat was imminent. Jane had already taken off his jacket but now considered just stripping altogether and leave the plane naked. If there was one thing he hated about California desert, it was the fact that it was too hot. At least the ocean side was a lot more bearable with a daily, gentle breeze. Even a storm sounded nice right now.

Richfield had already left the plane alongside Cho, making haste with their quest. Lisbon turned as she took the small steps downwards. "Aren't you coming, Jane?"

"Yeah, yeah." Jane took deep breaths and inhaled air before the heat made him groan once more. Almost immediately the nausea vanished, allowing him at least to recover from the plane sickness.

The smoke came from behind a small hill, hiding whatever it was from their view. They walked to the top of the sandy hill and spotted a burning car standing in a small valley, a long way from the main road. From the tracks it was clear the car had been driven here only to come to a stop in the middle of the valley.

"Listen," Jane said, closing his eyes as they stood on the hill. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Cho reacted. "It's deadly quiet here."

"Exactly. Isn't it great?" Jane exhaled, opening his eyes again. "Fantastic."

"Not if you get lost around here," Richfield commented dryly. "Perhaps that's what happened to this car and its driver."

"It's odd though," Lisbon said, "why would there be a vehicle burning in the middle of nowhere?"

"Do you think there's someone inside?" Cho asked, holding his hand above his eyes.

"I don't know. I can't tell." Lisbon was the first one to go down the hill, towards the vehicle. Richfield followed immediately after. Cho was the third one to go.

"Alright, just leave me here," Jane muttered, sliding down the hill as the last one. "Stupid kids playing with an old car, setting it on fire, I'll bet you ten bucks on _that_."

As they approached the vehicle, Cho was the first one to see two bodies sitting in the front seats of the car, both burned to a crisp as the flames licked through the vehicle, leaving a trail of smoke and burn marks. It was obvious the car had been burning up for some time, now shedding smoke and small flames from its engine.

"Okay," Jane said out loud. "Guess I lost that bet."

"A homicide?" Cho asked Lisbon. "Car set on fire in the middle of the desert with two bodies in them. Could be a mob hit, someone trying to get rid of evidence and hoping no one would ever find them."

"Or a suicide pact?" Richfield asked curiously.

"Strange suicide, setting yourself on fire," Jane commented, moving slowly towards the car to take a closer look at the bodies. "Mr. Richfield, do you have a fire extinguisher on the plane?"

"Yeah, I do."

Jane turned towards him, "you'd better go get them then before all evidence has gone up in flames. We might at least save some of it."

"I'll go," Cho said, turning around and hurrying back up the hill.

Richfield walked towards him, "Evidence? What do you think this is?"

"Murder. They didn't stand a chance. Their hands are tied together to prevent them from escaping the vehicle. From the looks of it, they were burned alive."

"How can you tell?"

"Look at the way their bodies are lying in the car. They died in agony, mouths open and bodies withering against the fire. It was painful. And if you look closely, you can see that the car doors were jammed as well. Even if they had been able to free themselves, they would never have gotten out."

Jane looked around. "Look, there are more traces there. There were two cars here and the second one left in a hurry by the looks of it."

Lisbon took out her phone to make pictures of the traces and the burning car, knowing that the desert was merciless and would get rid of the traces soon. The tire tracks were deep, as if from a heavy Jeep or a van.

Richfield felt goose bumps crawl up on his skin. "That's terrible. Disgusting, really."

"Yes it is," Jane said slowly. "People can be very cruel, Mr. Richfield."

Lisbon frowned as she looked at the car. "We have to call it in." She grabbed her cell phone. "I can't get a connection. Mr. Richfield, we'll have to coordinate this and get the troops in. We'd better go back to the plane and use your radio. Night will fall soon and if we don't hurry nobody might make it here until morning."

"Darkness will fall in about two hours," Jane said. "You won't get anyone here before that time. So we might as well head back and hope that Mr. Richfield here remembers where he landed."

Richfield nodded, clearly nauseated by the sight of the two burned corpses. He shuddered. "Who would do such a vicious thing?"

"That's for us to find out now," Lisbon said. "Jane is right, Mr. Richfield. The best thing for us to do now is to head further to Palm Springs and return in the morning. There's nothing anyone can do now for these two people."

Lisbon took steps backwards as she made more photos of the crime scene. They literally were in no-man's-land. Cho came back down the hill, carrying two fire extinguishers to make sure the fire was finally out and the car wouldn't explode in the middle of the night. Jane circled around the car, avoiding the heat and smoke, trying to take a better look inside at the corpses. Richfield was right next to him, following him around as he asked questions.

"Jane, don't come too close," Lisbon warned him.

Jane turned halfway towards her, his eyes glued on the vehicle. "Don't worry, Lisbon, we're fine."

The next thing they knew, just as Cho was approaching with the fire extinguishers, the car blew up on them, throwing all four of them to the ground in a loud blast.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two **

Shocked, Lisbon was the first to move, feeling the heat all over her after the knock-down. Dazed she crawled back up, shaking her head slightly and pushing her hands against her ears against a loud ringing sound she couldn't shake off. Cho, having dropped the fire extinguishers, moved second, clutching his head and rubbing his eyes. He could feel the heat radiate from the blown-up car, fearing for just a second he was on fire. The flames rose high up to the skies but they weren't on him, he realized in relief.

Patrick Jane lay on his side as he opened his eyes, crawling up dazed, rolling from his side to his back, then upwards. Before he could stand up straight, his chest seemed to explode. An enormous surge of pain rushed through him and he clutched his right arm and chest with his left, screaming in pure agony.

Next to him Richfield remained unmoving to the ground, his eyes wide open, staring into nothingness.

"Jane!" Lisbon cried out, running to her consultant as he fell back to the ground, lying half on his back, half on his side, his face contorted in a form of extreme pain. She had never seen him like this before. He could barely move, barely breathe and held his left hand and arm tightly over his chest and right arm.

She tried to roll him on his back to take a better look but he refused, panting and heaving as she touched him. Then Cho was by her side and knelt on Jane's other side, gently touching the man's chest. He had a first aid degree but Jane's distress went way beyond that.

"Jane, can you hear me?" Lisbon asked, tears welling in her eyes. Feeling pretty dazed herself, her eyes still ringing from the blast, she was at a loss about what do to next.

To her relief, he nodded, yet at the same time she could see beads of sweat forming on his face, his eyes halfway open as if to fight off the excruciating pain inside of his chest. His legs were pushed together, almost in a fetus like position. His back was tense and tight. She almost wished he was out of it. A large piece of metal lay besides him, having caused the impact to his chest.

"Richfield is dead," Cho said, casting a glance aside at their pilot. A large shard of metal protruded from the man's chest, the car's metal entering his body so fast and with such force he probably didn't even know what hit him. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Lisbon's thoughts went crazy as she realized the consequences. There was no way for them to leave with a dead pilot on their hands, so help had to come from elsewhere. "We have to get help here fast," she said, her hands still on Jane's back and arm. "How bad is it?"

"I'm not a doctor but from the looks of it, I think he might have broken a couple of ribs. I'm thinking punctured lung," Cho replied calmly, his hands gently examining Jane's chest, then exploring the rest of his body. "I don't see any other injuries, no broken bones anyhow."

Cho's hands lifted Jane's eyelids. "I don't think he has a concussion and he seems quite alert. Jane, did you bump your head? Can you talk to us?"

Jane looked at his colleagues, shivering in pure pain, teeth clattering as he tried to speak. "N – n – no bump. C – c – chest … hurts."

"You broke a few ribs. I think your lung is punctured," Cho replied calmly and honestly, knowing Jane would see through lies immediately. "We need to move you to the plane and get you out of the sun."

"N – n – no, leave me. Hurts." Jane took deep breaths as he spoke. Cho didn't like the way he breathed. There was a crackling sound clearly audible.

"I know but we can't leave you out here in the heat either," Cho said firmly. "You'll dehydrate within the hour, if a sunstroke doesn't get you first. It's too humid and hot out here. This valley is too hot for us to stay long in it."

_And tonight it will freeze out here, _Lisbon thought, trying to remember what Richfield had said. Hadn't he spoken of wild animals as well? All she could think of now was that Palm Springs was a 20-minute flight out. Basically, at this very moment, they could have been at world's end and their situation couldn't have been worse.

Lisbon felt extremely grateful for Cho's curt and efficient reactions, having difficulty to concentrate as she fought the battle against her pounding ears and her fears for Jane's life. "How are we going to move him?" she whispered. "He can't walk."

"We'll have to drag him to the plane, there is no other way," Cho said. "Then we can radio for help and hopefully find some medical equipment to help him." Cho looked at Jane, saying kindly, "we'll be right back."

Then he pulled Lisbon away from her consultant to a short distance where Jane couldn't hear them. "This is bad, boss. Really, really bad. I'm at a loss here too. All we learn in these First Aid courses is how to patch people up and resuscitate them. I don't even know where to start here. But I do know he needs help _now _and we are not the people to give it to him."

Lisbon nodded, staring at Jane's heaving and shaking body as his lungs tried to suck in air he couldn't hold on to. She shook her head lightly, forcing her own pain to go away as she straightened her back.

"Okay," she said, feeling calm return. "Okay. First things first. Let's get him back on that plane, out of the sun. That might help him breathe better. This humidity is not doing it any good either. Leave Richfield's body here; there is nothing we can do for him anyhow. We'll radio for help; hopefully we'll find someone who can help us with first aid and instructions on what to do. And then we'll try to keep Jane as comfortable as we can while we wait for the cavalry."

Cho nodded. The two agents returned to Jane who had turned into a modus of silent whimpering, his left hand still pushing against his own chest as if to push out the pain. When she looked into his eyes, Lisbon noticed how they had gotten a glace over them, as if he were on medication and out there. She knew Jane had a lot of self-control and was able to block out pain but never before had she seen him suffering like this.

"Jane?" she said gently, knowing her voice was probably the only thing that would keep him with them. "We're right here and we're going to help you. But you need to help us too. We can't carry you back to the plane, you need to lean on us and stand. Do you think you can do that?"

Jane seemed to focus on her voice and listened intently to her. "I can't … move."

"Yes, you can, Jane. Come on, you're stronger than that. We need to get you out of the sun."

Reluctantly Jane nodded. Lisbon knew it took all the strength he had in him to even do that. Gently Cho kneeled; putting one strong arm behind Jane's back, pulling him up with him up by using his own weight as a brick wall against which Jane could lean.

With a loud and sharp cry that ran through Lisbon's body like a knife, Jane moved up into sitting position. "That's it," Cho said, grasping him tightly. He nodded at Lisbon and she stepped in as well, standing on Jane's other side and placing her arm gently behind his back. Jane continued to grip his chest with his left hand, supporting his own broken ribs.

Then he stood after another loud gasp, his legs not giving in but knowing that wouldn't take too long.

"You're doing great," Cho spoke calmly. "That's it. We've got you. Now all you have to do is take one step at a time. You won't fall, you won't pass out. We're right here."

In other circumstances Jane would have laughed at the patronizing tone of voice but right here, right now, he listened to Cho's smooth talking, clinging onto that like a lifeline. Somehow, deep inside of his brain, Jane was able to give commands to his feet. Slowly they moved, one step at a time, like a man who had just learned how to walk again.

Every single step cut like a knife through his chest. Jane could actually feel his broken ribs move and crunch against each other. It took all he had in him not to fall forward and just give up. He panted, out of breath and in pure pain.

After five long minutes they reached the hill. Jane looked at it with tears of pain in his eyes, knowing the toughest part was yet to come. He was exhausted.

"J – j – just leave me here," he whispered, his face sliding forward onto his chest, dark spot dancing before his eyes. "y – you go."

"Not a chance," Lisbon reacted firmly. "It's not high. You can do it, Jane. Now move those legs!"

Her voice shook him out of his stupor. Head lifted high, chin up, Jane held on tight for the pain. Up they went, footstep after footstep, up the small sandy hill behind which they would find the plane. In reality it would take about fifteen steps up, to Jane it felt like a marathon.

Constantly sinking in and out of darkness, he allowed the voices of his colleagues to guide him. They didn't let go, so neither would he.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks so much for the reviews, following and so on :)

hope you enjoy the next chapter !

**Chapter Three **

As they finally reached the top of the hill, Cho and Lisbon shared a relief look between them. "We're almost there, Jane," Lisbon said gently. "Just a little bit more. Then you'll feel much better being out of the sun."

Jane didn't reply, his eyes focusing on the plane that seemed to be miles away yet took only ten more steps to reach. Slowly but surely they made it there. With Lisbon before him, gently supporting his right shoulder and Cho behind him, pushing him softly forward, he made it up the small ladder.

Inside it felt much cooler than out, making all three of them sigh.

Lisbon walked towards the back of the plane and pushed one of the passenger seats backwards as much as she could, making it fold back like a lounge chair. Together they helped Jane to sit down. He cried out in agony, trying to find a position to lie down in but finding that he couldn't. Sitting upright somehow helped relief the pain. The broken ribs pushed inside of him, making it harder to breathe. He was panting heavily now, almost gasping for air.

"I'll get on the radio," Cho said, releasing Jane's grip. He moved towards the front of the plane, leaving Lisbon and Jane alone.

"L – Lisbon," Jane whispered, his left hand for the first time releasing his chest and grabbing hers.

"I'm here, Jane," she spoke warmly. "You'll be fine. Cho is radioing for help. They'll find us soon and you're going to be okay. Just hang on. Get some rest."

"Hurts."

"I know. I'm going to try and find a first aid kit on board. You just rest for a moment, okay?"

Jane suddenly smiled a weary grin. "W – wish w – we had t – taken the car today, huh?"

Lisbon couldn't help but smile back. "Wish I had a time machine and go back."

"H – Hell yeah." Jane closed his eyes, retreating within himself as Lisbon left him and moved to the front of the plane where Cho sat speaking to a man on the other end.

"Hang on," he said into the microphone as he turned towards Lisbon. "You're not going to like this. Do you want the bad news or the bad news?"

Lisbon felt cold fear grasp her. "What is it?"

"We're literally in the middle of the dessert with nothing to go on but these plane's instruments. But they are malfunctioning. Apparently our Mr. Richfield was flying blindly and on pure luck and personal orientation when he was heading for Palm Springs. The instruments are by ten miles off. At least."

"Crap. So he wasn't kidding."

"And that's not all. There is barely any fuel left. He had enough to fly us to Palm Springs, had to refuel there before heading back. The more we use the radio, air conditioning, lights, whatever, the sooner we will run out of it. We have to be careful what to use when."

Lisbon sighed. That could just be added to the long list of problems they already had.

"Anyhow, there are two options: Either they fly out a plane or a rescue helicopter here to get Jane to a hospital, leaving the plane here for someone – anyone – to pick it up later, refueling it manually before takeoff, or they could come by road and take us back by road as well."

"What are they proposing?"

"They are looking into the options right now. But both options have their issues and both have the same problem: They will not be able to get us out of here by tonight. In less than an hour it's going to be pitch black out there. Even if we turn on every light on this plane to navigate a chopper – which would probably have us run out of fuel immediately, they will not be able to land in the dark without guidance – if they even find us. If they drive out here, it will take them about three hours to get here and three hours to drive to the nearest hospital. And because they don't have our exact location, they could be driving around for a lot longer than that before finding us."

"So basically there is nothing we can do until morning."

Cho nodded.

Lisbon sighed, rubbing her face. "Jane doesn't have until morning, Cho. He might not even have a few hours. He's in really bad shape."

"I know."

"Give me the headset."

Quietly Cho handed over the headset to Lisbon, watching her als her trembling fingers shoved it over her ears, adjusting the microphone towards her mouth. "This is Special Agent Teresa Lisbon with the CBI. I'm in charge. Please send us help tonight. My consultant is badly injured and might die before morning. We don't have until dawn."

A kind male voice on the other side replied. "Agent Lisbon, Agent Cho has explained the entire situation to us and we are doing everything we can to get help to you. I'm calling in everyone who is available for a rescue party. My suggestion is that we have a rescue chopper ready for lift off as soon as you are located. And the best way to do that is to send out as many cars as we can, scanning the entire area. But you have to keep in mind that it will take many hours to find you, if not, all night. We have to be realistic. The best you can do is to describe your area where you are. My best people are on it."

Lisbon sighed. "What is there to describe? There is nothing but desert around us and a long, lonely road without a single sign on it that goes on forever. What is your name?"

"My name is Michael White. Please call me Mike. I'll be here for you all night," the friendly voice reassured her.

"Thank you," Lisbon said, pushing away her tears. "Mike, I need another favor. I need to help Jane as much as I can. He needs medical attention and we need someone to guide us through whatever it takes to keep him alive."

"I'm already on it. I've called a hospital and they are sending over two people to help you through it. Even though we can't see Mr. Jane, they will be able to assist based on your findings and descriptions."

Lisbon sighed deeply. "Thank you – again."

A loud, sharp groan from the back of the plane startled Cho and Lisbon. Lisbon took off the headset and practically threw it at Cho, rushing back to the back of the plane where she found a ghastly pale Jane gasping for air.

"Jane, Jane … I'm here, listen to me." Lisbon grasped his hand tight, forcing him to look at her. "Help is on the way, okay? You need to calm down."

When he looked at her, she noticed how confused he was. Beads of sweat covered his face, he barely recognized her as he struggled with the pain. If only he would pass out, she thought, only to realize then that that might actually be the worst thing that could happen to him.

"Help me, Teresa," he simply said, casting his eyes up as he stared directly into her eyes, pleading with her. It broke her heart to see him like this.

"I will," she vowed, her fingers closing over his. "You will make it, okay?"

Cho rushed towards the back of the plane. "I have some instructions. Apparently planes like these carry a standard, obligatory First Aid kit that holds medication, needles, syringes, … It should be in the back of the plane, in the storage unit.

Lisbon watched Cho rummage through the unit, searching it – retrieving it and returning with it. The kit consisted of two large black cases that both held a large stock of medical supplies. Then he walked back to the front, pulled the headset out of its socket and pushed an intercom button.

"Mike, we're here," he said aloud, "Talk to us."

"Okay, I'm patching you through to Dr. Wills. He will guide you through this."

Another voice was heard on the intercom, an older male voice that somehow reassured Teresa that they could work together to save Jane.

"Okay, Agent Cho," the doctor said. "The first thing we need to do is examine Mr. Jane and determine the extent of his injury. Can you make him as comfortable as possible? Don't let him lie down completely just yet. Leave him in an upwards position, that will help him breathe better."

"Okay. Just tell us what to do, doctor," Cho said, carefully unbuttoning Jane's shirt, gently touching his warm chest.

"Take a good look at his chest, is it swollen?"

"Yes," Cho said. "It's swollen and it's warm to the touch."

"How warm?"

"He is definitely running a fever."

Jane stared at his colleague, allowing Lisbon to grasp his left hand so the chest was visible for Cho to look at.

"The entire right side is swollen; it's difficult for him to breathe. I can hear a rattling sound when he inhales air. He's in obvious excruciating pain."

Jane leaned his head back, allowing the exam to continue as he focused on his breathing, staring at Lisbon for support.

"Okay. I need you to do something that will cause a lot of pain to Mr. Jane, but it's necessary. He needs to be moved onto his right side. That way, his body will counteract against the broken ribs and allow his punctured lung to expand. To do this, you need to lower his chair or place him on the ground. Is that possible?"

Lisbon looked into the back compartment of the aircraft. "The chair can't be moved further backwards. There are blankets in the back. We can use them as a mattress to lay him on. He'll probably be more comfortable there."

"Okay. When you move him, make sure that he doesn't topple forward, or he might damage his lung further. Be prepared though, it will hurt like hell," Dr. Wills spoke through the intercom.

"T – t – that's re – reassuring," Jane grinned through gritted teeth.

"Mr. Jane, you will feel better afterwards," Dr. Wills said. "Just hang in there."

Cho and Lisbon carefully worked together as they lifted Jane from his chair. Slowly they made their way to the back of the plane. "Easy Jane," Cho spoke calmly. "Just lean on me. We're going to lower you down on the ground now, one step at a time."

With Cho leaning heavily against his back, Jane allowed his knees to bend and to be seated onto the ground. Lisbon stayed before him, forcing him to focus on her. Her hands wouldn't leave his left arm, holding him in place as Cho did the hard work.

"Now the difficult part," Cho said. "Jane, are you ready?"

Jane nodded shortly and felt Cho pull back gently on his upper body, laying him down on the ground, at the same time swiftly turning him onto his left side. Jane screamed in pain, for one long moment feeling he would die right there, begging for someone to knock him out. But it was exactly that pain that kept him alert; to vividly experience every single movement.

And then he was on his side and somehow felt like he could breathe better, even if that was relatively speaking.

"Done," Cho spoke in relief, rubbing the sweat off his forehead as he looked at Lisbon who gratefully nodded. Jane had gone back to clutching his chest, half out of it.

"Not yet," Dr. Wills spoke through the speaker. "That was the easy part. Now follows the tricky one."

Lisbon felt every fiber of her body as she said, "What do you mean?"

"The next step is to get Mr. Jane to regain full access to his lung. You will have to insert a needle into his chest and allow the lung to expand."

"Are you kidding me?" Lisbon almost shouted. "We are not doctors, _doctor_. I hope you're joking?"

Dr. Wills scraped his throat. "I'm afraid not, Agent Lisbon. Mr. Jane's lung needs to be saved. In the kit that you have retrieved from the back of the plane, you will find several long needles. Retrieve the middle sized one, get bandages, a tube, antiseptics and tape from the kit. It should all be there."

Cho and Lisbon stared at each other, both frightened of what was expected of them. Lisbon gasped as a hand grasped hers. She looked down at Jane whose feverish eyes stared at her intently. "You – y – yes, you can," he quipped. "L – Lisbon, pl – please."

Teresa Lisbon grasped her necklace, closed her eyes and prayed. As she looked up, she saw Cho and Jane watching her. "Okay," she said. "We can do this. Cho, get everything ready. We're all Jane's got."

Cho smiled briefly. "Yes, boss," and started rummaging through the First Aid kits.

As he returned with his hands full, they laid a clean blanket next to Jane and spread out the medical material. "I found everything except gloves," Cho said. "We'll have to be careful, I can't wash my hands anywhere."

"Okay, now listen to me very carefully," Wills spoke through the speaker. "Place your hand on Patrick's chest and roam until you find the lower part of the swelling. That should be about three fingertips away from the sternum."

Cho did exactly what he said. "Found it."

"Okay, disinfect it with antiseptics. Use pads."

"Done," Cho said, while Lisbon's hand gently stroked Jane's feverish forehead.

"Now take the needle out of its package and make sure not to touch the sharp end. It needs to stay clean. Keep the tube ready."

Lisbon let go of Jane and pulled the tube out of its package.

"Now, push the needle into Patrick's chest. You will feel it go through the hard part and then into a softer area that feels like a cushion. That's his lung tissue you'll be feeling. You'll hear a sound like air escaping. That will be good. Then you need to push the tube into place and keep it there, tape it onto his chest."

Jane stared at Lisbon as he listened to the doctor's orders.

"Agent Lisbon, can you check in the kit if there are sedatives present?"

"N – no," Jane muttered. "No … no drugs."

"Mr. Jane – Patrick, this will hurt like hell."

"Just … just do it."

Lisbon looked at Jane. "Are you sure?"

Jane nodded.

"Mr. Jane," the doctor spoke, addressing him again. "You will feel a sharp pain. As soon as the needle and tube are in, you will be able to breathe better again. If you are still awake by then … Unfortunately there are no sedatives, you are going to feel this."

Jane nodded.

"He says it's fine," Lisbon spoke out loud.

Cho's fingers trembled as he held the syringe tight, focusing on Jane's chest. "You ready?"

Jane nodded again.

"Okay, here goes." Slowly but surely Cho aimed directly for his target, slowly pushing the needle into Jane's chest. The consultant groaned and instinctively tried to fight off the pain but was stopped by Cho's firm grip as he kept a hold on the man's chest.

As the needle sunk further into his skin, flesh and then lung tissue, Jane's eyes rolled back and his entire body relaxed, finally sinking into welcoming darkness. Quickly Cho continued his work, waiting until he heard the sshhh of escaping air. Then he released the needle and put the tiny tube in place, taping it in between sterile pads onto Jane's chest with Lisbon's help.

As they finished, Lisbon gently touched Jane's cheek but he wouldn't react, sending her into a panic. "Jane … Jane!" she cried out.

"Lisbon … boss … Teresa, he's fine. Give him some rest," Cho said gently, placing a blanket over Jane's legs and half-bare chest.

"How is our patient doing?" Dr. Wills asked with tense voice.

"He's passed out," Cho replied. "But the tube is in place and he's breathing a bit better."

Several relieved sighs and voices came from the other side of the intercom. Several people had now gathered to follow the events.

"Good, that's very good," the doctor spoke, "but we're not out of the woods yet, so to speak. Do you have a thermometer in the kit? Can you check his fever?"

"No thermometer," Cho replied, "but he's burning up."

"Okay, you need to get those fevers down. Is there a source of water in the area?"

"Not that we know of."

"Is there a way of cooling him down?"

Lisbon desperately looked around for something – anything – to help. "No," she said.

"There is a saline drip," Cho said. "I could try to get that in."

"Have you ever done that before, Agent Cho?"

"No, but I've never punctured a man's lung before either."

Dr. Wills laughed nervously. "If you are up for trying, be my guest. Make sure you get a good vein, either in the crook of his elbow or his hand."

Lisbon leaned back as she watched Cho gently tap Jane's hand. "He's got big veins on his hands. I should be able to get a needle in there. Hey, I've seen them do it with me several times before; it can't be that hard, right?"

Lisbon sighed, suddenly feeling trapped inside the aircraft's small compartment. She hated feeling so powerless. "I need some air," she muttered, stomping towards the exit, pushing it open and almost running off the ladder. Outside it was getting much colder but it was exactly that cold that kept her vivid now.

She closed her eyes, lifted her face to the skies and took deep breaths, allowing the cold to enter her mouth, throat and lungs. How good it felt to be able to breathe like that. How awful it must be for Jane not being able to do the exact same. How angry it made her feel for not listening to him in the first place. If only they had ignored that smoke. If only …

A shiver ran down her spine as she realized the consequences of such a simple decision. A decision that could now cost them dearly.

She heard Cho's footsteps behind her. "The IV is in," he said. "Or so I hope. It's dripping anyhow. Let's hope it helps."

"Is he still breathing?"

"Yeah, he's just out cold. That's good though, the doctor said. It will give him some recovery time. His body has endured too much stress as it is."

"What is the doctor's prognosis?"

"He said we have to keep a very close eye on him and monitor his breathing. There isn't much we can do against the fever though, I've gone through every single box on this damned plane and found nothing to help us. Since we're in the middle of the desert, the chances of finding a source of water are zilch. All we can do now is to keep him comfortable."

Lisbon turned towards the plane. "We have to shut down some lights and spare as much fuel as we can. If we lose the radio, we're on our own."

"I found some flashlights, we could use those."

"That's a good idea."

Cho looked at Lisbon, touching her arm lightly. They weren't used to physical contact and she knew he was concerned about her. "Boss, what happened out there? You look completely out of it sometimes. And your right ear is bleeding."

"Is it?" Instinctively Lisbon touched her ear, looking surprised at the blood on her fingertips. "I'm fine, Cho. My ears hurt but I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You look like hell. Why don't you get some rest. I'll keep guard and wake you when he comes to."

She shook her head. "I'd rather stay alert. But thanks. Why don't you rest a bit?"

He smiled. "Come on."

Inside the plane, they shut down all the lights, taking out large emergency flash lights from the back of the aircraft. The only thing they kept working was the radio. Mike's voice was soothing as he spoke to them, telling them several cars had been gathered with emergency equipment. The search parties were almost on their way.

"Just a few more hours now," Mike said. "Just hang in there; we're all rooting for you."

At that moment they heard the roars of Mountain Lions in the far distance. "You'd better hurry," Cho said, "before we end up as dinner."

Lisbon stood and shut the plane door, locking the lions out. "I hate the desert," she said aloud.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four **

Jane woke startled, his body shaking as he did, sending a new rush of pain through his head and chest. "Lisbon?" he cried out without even being fully alert. "Lisbon!"

"I'm here, Jane," she said, grasping his left hand. "We're both still here."

He tried to get up but Cho gently kept him lying down. "I've had …" Jane swallowed, trying to suck in air. "I've had the worst nightmare. We were on a plane, there was … there was an explosion and …"

"Jane, that wasn't a dream," Lisbon spoke gently. "We're still on the plane. Help is on the way. You've been badly injured."

Jane stared confused at her, not understanding what she was saying. "Injured?"

"Yes, you have to stay calm. Help is on the way."

"Where are we?"

"Do you remember the car exploding?" she whispered softly. "You were hit by a piece of metal. You broke some ribs. We are in the desert."

Jane leaned his head down on the blankets as he closed his eyes. "Why is it so dark in here?" Then he looked at her. "Lisbon, is that you?"

Jane's confusion startled Lisbon. She didn't like the tone of his voice at all. Somehow it felt off. "Cho, turn on one of the lights," Lisbon said, frowning. Cho walked back to the front and switched on the interior light. Lisbon stared shocked at Jane's bluish lips. He was taking small, intense breaths, his chest moving oddly when he did.

"What is it?" Cho asked, staying with Jane as Lisbon rushed forward and grabbed the headset, switching from intercom to a one on one conversation.

"Is Dr. Wills still there?" she asked trembling.

"I'm here, Miss Lisbon," he replied immediately.

"His lips are turning blue and he's making these strange sounds when he breathes. And he's out of it, he doesn't remember much and talks nonsense. Is that normal?"

There was a silence on the other side and then Dr. Wills said. "Is his fever still high?"

"Higher. He feels very warm to the touch."

"I'm afraid it's getting worse then. It sounds like he's suffering from ARDS. It means that he might go into respiratory failure. Is Mr. Cho still there?"

Lisbon waved for Cho to come up front. He took the second headset. "Right here."

"Was there a respiratory kit inside the First Aid box?"

"I don't know, what does it look like?"

"Find a box with a breathing tube in it and something that looks like a small hard plastic bag."

Lisbon waited impatiently as Cho rummaged through the gear and then returned. "No, there isn't."

Dr. Wills sighed. "I was afraid about that."

"Why? What's going on?"

"If I'm correct and Mr. Jane is suffering from ARDS, he might stop breathing. If that is the case, you'll need to manually resuscitate him. If he were in the hospital right now, he would get a breathing tube in his throat to relieve the pressure off his lungs. Basically his lungs are shutting down."

"How long does he have?" Lisbon asked fearfully.

"I can't predict that. If he's strong, he might last for six to eight hours. But …"

Lisbon and Cho looked at each other, knowing they might lose the battle after all. "No," Lisbon said sharply. "I won't let that happen. We'll talk to him, keep him alert, his mind off things. Jane will NOT die."

Cho nodded determinedly. Both agents looked up startled as the lights on the control panel started to blink. "What's happening?" Lisbon asked, terrified they would be left alone in the dark.

"We're running out of fuel."

"We can't lose the radio, Cho."

"I know."

Frustrated Cho threw down the headset, pushed open the aircraft's door and exited. Lisbon could see him opening the small cargo compartments, looking for something – anything to help them. Extra barrels of fuel, an emergency radio, _anything_.

_Now I know what it feels like to be blind, _Lisbon thought as she shut off the compartment light again. The flashlight they had placed here and there illuminated the area in a ghostly manner. She knelt down by Jane, opened up her suitcase and tore up a white shirt. Then she remembered the drinks Mr. Richfield had spoken of.

She rummaged through his stash, finding four bottles of water in a small refrigator that no longer worked. She took one out, screwed it open and dipped water over the cloth. Then she placed the cooling cloth over his forehead, wiping away beads of sweat. He moaned as she touched him, opening his eyes and staring at her. He was completely out of it, she noticed. Pain and fear had taken completely over. This was no longer Patrick Jane staring at her but a man in distress.

"Hey Jane," she said softly. "Do you remember that time when we lost our car in San Francisco and spent hours in the heat searching for it? How stupid was that huh?"

He didn't reply but she could hear him listening to her voice, remembering who she was and what they had been through together.

"I'm still not sure who was the bad guy in that story, you know? Van Pelt swore she had memorized the street's name but of course she couldn't know that there was a Green Village Street _and _a Green Town Street about two blocks away from each other."

Cho walked back in empty-handed, listening to Lisbon's gentle voice as she continued, "I remember how pissed off you were. You swore you never lost your car and vowed to teach us your car-memory game. But you never got around to that, did you?"

Jane's eyes closed as he listened to her, his rapid breathing becoming calmer.

"Keep going," Cho whispered as he came closer. "It helps."

Lisbon dipped another piece of cloth into water and wet Jane's face. "And then you swore you would never drive with us again. But then of course the next day you'd forgotten that promise already because we'd gotten that new SUV and you loved the leather upholstery."

Jane nodded quietly, remembering it all.

"You know, you've always surprised me with your mentalist tricks, you know? From the first moment you set foot at the CBI, it was so clear to us that you had a special skill. I've wondered about that so many times. We make a good team, don't we? It would be a waste to let that slip away."

"Tired, Teresa." Jane muttered, so quietly she could barely hear. "So tired of it all."

"You'll get better before you know it. I've seen you do some amazing things before. You've survived so much. This is just a walk in the park for you," Lisbon smiled calmly, soothingly.

"N – No … Tired of the … the battle."

Lisbon held her breath, knowing what he was referring to. "Well, if you die on me tonight, Red John wins. You can't let that happen."

"You – You'll take o – o – over."

Lisbon wet a third cloth and placed it at Jane's lips, wetting them gently as he opened his feverish eyes and stared at her. "No, I won't," she said. "I refuse to take over. It's _your _battle, Jane. That's why you've always said and I'm keeping you on that. So stop talking like that because I won't listen."

Jane smiled wearily. "Y – yes … boss."

Lisbon leaned back heavily and rubbed her face exhausted. Glancing at her watch she noticed it was nearly 10 p.m. In her mindset it felt like a century had gone by. They had been here for hours and who knew how much longer it would still take.

Cho walked up the front, talking quietly to Mike for a few minutes. Then he turned off the radio again and returned to them. "They're combing every inch of this damned desert," he said. "It can't be too long now."

Lisbon didn't speak a word, realizing she was losing all hope. She felt defeated.

"Jane, just rest a bit," she said gently. "We're right here if you need us."

Jane didn't react. She knew he was lingering between sleep and awareness, holding on.

Lisbon and Cho stepped outside in the cold night air, relieved to be out of their claustrophobic environment once more. "If they don't find us in a couple of hours, I'm going to head out and go find them," Cho said.

"That's very brave but also useless, Cho. They know where we are within a ten mile radius. That means, if we calculated it right, they needed about 2,5 – 3 hours to drive to this area and then start the search, which means that - if they coordinate the search correctly, which I believe they will – they'll find us in less than three hours. They know these parts better than we do. The best thing we can do right now is to stay put and wait."

"I'm going crazy feeling this helpless," Cho confessed. "I'd rather be stuck in a cage with one of those mountain lions than to just sit here and wait. It all seems so senseless. This entire evening feels like a bad dream."

"You know," Lisbon spoke quietly, "I always thought Jane would die a heroic death, saving someone's life or during his quest to find Red John. But to watch him die like this, in such a stupid way, knowing that we are to blame for it … No, that doesn't make any sense at all."

"It's not your fault, Lisbon. Jane knows that. It was an accident."

"Jane asked us – no, practically _begged _us – not to go down there and we did."

"Because it's your job and he knows that. You wouldn't be who you are had you not landed there to see if you could help out. You would have felt guilty for ignoring it, wondering forever what you could have done had there been real people in distress. There was no way you could have known that they were already dead. Jane doesn't blame you, you know?"

"But Richfield is dead and Jane is about to die, that's the painful reality," Lisbon said hoarsely. "If only we could turn back time."

"We live every day with the reality of our actions, boss. Whatever we do bears consequences. Jane's search for Red John also had consequences. If he had let it lie, people wouldn't have died. But do you blame him for that? No, because we all know that this is who he is and what he does. You didn't blame yourself when he digested those Belladonna leaves because that was an accident. So don't blame yourself now for doing your job. If you do blame yourself, then find another, quiet job in some little town somewhere and ignore the fact that there are dozens of murderers out there that you have caught."

Lisbon stared in shock at Cho. Then she smiled wearily. "Thanks Cho, I guess I needed that."

"Yeah, you did. Now let's go back inside and not give up. We're not the ones hurting here. If we give up, then so will he."

Lisbon wiped the tears rolling over her face with her jacket sleeve and turned to the left, only to find car lights shining upon her.

"They're here. Cho, they're here!" she almost yelled it.

Cho narrowed his eyes, staring at the single car heading over the road towards them as a very cold feeling of dread washed over him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five **

A single car approached the plane, stopping at a short distance from them. Lisbon and Cho held their hands up, covering their eyes against the sharp car lights.

As the vehicle stopped, Lisbon ran towards the driver side, relieved to see two men sitting in the car. The driver wheeled down his window and turned off the engine.

"Thank god you found us," she spoke out of breath. "Did you bring medical supplies?"

The men glanced at each other and then back at her. "Medical supplies?"

"Yeah … aren't you from the search party?"

The two hesitated. Then the driver said, "No, we're just passing through."

Instantly Lisbon felt herself turn cold again. Every instinct in her warned her about these men. She cursed the fact her gun was inside the plane. If these men had bad intentions, they would be powerless against them.

"There was an accident," Lisbon spoke slowly. "We spotted smoke just over that hill there when we were nearby. We're tourists, our pilot decided to go take a look and then the car exploded before we could reach it. Our friend is badly hurt and our pilot is dead. Do you have a mobile connection?"

"Lady, we're in the middle of the desert, there is no such thing as mobile phones around here," the passenger said.

Cho peered inside the vehicle, noticing an embedded GPS. He glanced at Lisbon, warning her to tread carefully.

"Is there anything we can do for your friend?" the driver asked. "Is he badly hurt? Where is he?"

"He's inside the plane," Lisbon replied. "We're waiting for help. There's nothing you can do, except perhaps get us back to Palm Springs."

"We're not exactly heading into that direction, lady. So nobody knows where you are?" the passenger asked, his eyes focused on Lisbon as his voice became dangerously low.

"They are searching for us," Lisbon spoke slowly. "They will be here any minute."

The driver and his passenger shared a glance. "That's good." The driver opened his car door, showing a gun in his hand, aimed at 'the tourists'. "That's very good."

"What's going on?" Lisbon asked, trying to sound as frightened as possible. "What are you doing?"

The driver nodded at his passenger. "You go make sure that there's nothing left of them. I'll deal with these two and their friend."

"Right." The passenger left, holding a gun as well as he ran straight for the hill and over it, knowing which way to go without even thinking about it.

"What are you doing?" Lisbon repeated, biting her tongue in order not to betray herself. "Who the hell are you?"

"My friend is just making sure that you're telling the truth about the car, and to check if the bodies in there are blown to bits."

"What bodies?" Lisbon asked, playing her innocent-look card as she held her hands in the air.

"You shouldn't have landed here, you know. It would have saved you from so much trouble. Here we were, thinking we'd found the perfect place to kill them off. But no, you had to go and mess with our business. If it weren't for you and your damned curiosity, nobody would have found them for ages. We thought we were safe but then we were sitting in this bar near the Palm Springs main police station and this cop comes running in to get his off-duty colleagues and volunteers to go search for a plane stranded in the middle of the desert, a plane with three CBI-agents in it and no pilot, who was killed when a car exploded before their eyes. Imagine our shock when we put two and two together. Tourists? I don't think so."

Lisbon felt the blood drain from her face. "Okay," she spoke slowly. "now that you know we are CBI, the more reason not to kill us. What's the point in that? We don't know who you are. But if you kill us in cold blood, I can assure you that every law enforcement agent will come after you until they've found you."

"We'll be long gone by then, lady. Let's go take a look at your friend, shall we? Walk."

Lisbon and Cho turned and walked slowly back to the aircraft, up the ladder and inside the compartment.

"Where are your guns?"

Lisbon pointed at her left.

"Move forward."

In the dark, Lisbon saw a dark heap lying on the floor. The flashlights were out, she realized suddenly. Jane wasn't there. Troubled she gazed at Cho who had noticed the exact same thing.

As they approached the chair with the two guns, the compartment door hiding the pilot seat slid open. Surprised their suspect turned around, only to see a fire extinguisher coming right at him. Instinctively he lifted his gun, only to have Cho attack him from behind and the fire extinguisher banging him on the side of the head, being lifted by a swaying Jane using his left hand and arm, shouting a harsh cry. Cho fished the gun from the man's hand before he could fire it on instinct.

"Ah!" the culprit cried out before he fell to the ground.

"Ah!" Jane cried as he dropped the heavy object and fell down on his knees, again clutching his chest. Lisbon saw blood dripping on his hand, thinking at first he was shot, only to realize then that he had pulled out the IV before crawling up and hiding in the pilot's cabin.

"Jane," she said, rushing forward and holding him tight while Cho checked their attacker. "Out cold," was his dry reply before looking at Jane who sat down panting on the cabin floor.

"S – saw you... Them," Jane whispered. "W-woke up and you were gone."

Lisbon grasped her consultant tight, slowly helping him upright. "You did great, Jane. It's over."

"Not exactly," Cho replied as he picked up the man's gun and placed it on the same seat. "The other one is still out there and he will be back in any second. And we need his car."

Lisbon sat Jane down on the middle chair and looked at Cho. "Go get him."

Cho nodded, grabbing his gun and walking outside, only to find their second suspect walking back to the car. As he saw Cho, the passenger froze and ducked behind the car, shooting at the agent. Cho rolled over the ground, firing back. The bullets struck the car, smashing into the hood of the car and two tires.

As the shooter moved upward to get better aim, another shot ran out from the plane, striking him in the chest. He fell dead on the ground.

"He's dead!" Cho shouted as he checked the man's body.

"Are you okay, Cho?" Lisbon yelled back.

"Fine." Cho pulled the car door open, started up the engine, tapped on the GPS and searched until he found their exact GPS-coördinates. "Got it!" he cried out in triumph, jotting down the data on a piece of paper he found in the car.

As he ran back to the plane, he froze. Inside, Lisbon lay unmoving on the ground, face down and her black hair spilled all over her. He couldn't see if she was alive or dead. Jane lay down behind her, shoved between two seats. The attacker bled from the side of his head but didn't seem to notice. Cho's gun aimed directly at the attacker but he held his gun pointed at Lisbon.

"Unless you want to get her killed, you drop that gun right now."

"Just think about it," Cho replied gently. "You have nowhere to go. Your partner is dead. Everyone will hunt you down like a dog. Put the gun down and I'll do a good word for you and make sure you don't get the chair."

"Not a chance," he snarled. "Put the gun down."

Lisbon stirred and moved her hands. Relieved Cho lifted his hands in the air, raising the gun upwards as a sign of treaty. "Okay, I'm putting it down. Just take it easy, okay?"

"Now, go to the back of the plane."

Cho knew he was about to get shot in the back. Killers like these, who burned their victims alive, didn't care about right or wrong. They just killed. He had to stall time, but how?

Slowly Cho turned around and took a first step towards the back, followed by the murderer who stepped over Jane's legs.

But Jane was awake. Lying exhausted and in pain on the floor, he controlled his breathing. He could barely see Lisbon or Cho, just listened quietly to what was being said. The attacker was blocking the way, having shoved him out of the way and believing he was harmless. In panic and as a last resort, Jane's left hand searched for something to use as a weapon, only to find the first aid kit right next to him. Grasping and feeling with his hand, he found a small pair of scissors.

With a small, very painful move, Jane shoved the scissors in the culprit's leg as he stepped over him.

Screaming the attacker instinctively reached for his leg, lowering the gun towards the floor. With one swift move, Cho leaned forward, pulled the gun from his hands and shot him twice. The attacker fell backwards, his eyes already dead before he hit the ground.

Cho lowered his gun, dropped it on the seat and moved forward, stepping over the body. Lisbon wearily lifted her head, the pounding sound in her ears returning in full force. Cho leaned by Jane's side, carefully moving him so he could check him.

"T – That was … exciting," Jane panted. "Is he …?"

"Yeah, he is. You saved the day, Jane."

Lisbon crawled up, sitting down by Jane as Cho looked at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, a bump on my head. I feel like a fool, didn't even see him waking up, thought he was out cold."

"Can you stay with Jane? I need to radio in the coordinates."

She nodded, leaning forward and supporting the right side of her head as she watched her consultant whose sweaty face and weary glace bothered her, praying his heroics didn't end up killing him.

Jane grasped her hand and squeezed it. "Y … y – okay?"

"Yeah, thanks to you," she smiled. "Leave it up to you to take out a killer like that."

He smiled, allowing the pain to finally return.

Lisbon heard Jane speak in the headset. Then all lights in the cockpit went out. They had run out of fuel, out of lights and radio. "Damn!" she heard Cho say.

"Did they get the coordinates?"

"I hope so." He grumbled, throwing down the headset. "Mike said they were nearby. They'll find us now."

Lisbon smiled nervously, praying that he was right. She knew that every minute counting from now on.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six **

Silence returned inside the aircraft as they waited. And waited. And waited.

Jane was carefully returned to his improvised bed in the back, lying on his side, squeezing his eyes whenever the pain became worse, finally fading in and out of it. Fortunately he didn't know how bad our situation was.

Outside, Cho and I heard the mountain lions roar. They were drawn by the dead bodies' scent, particularly the blood of our two assailants. Cho had dragged the second killer outside, dumping his body near his friend's. We didn't want them in here, not after what they'd done.

From the small airplane windows we could see the lions approach us. They headed cautiously for the two bodies. Then two lions started to feast. Lisbon couldn't look at it, nauseated by what was happening.

"We should fire some shots and drive them away," Cho said. "We can't let those animals eat them."

Lisbon nodded, knowing he was right, but she was too afraid to head out and do it. Finally Cho, unable to watch any longer, picked up his gun, opened the plane's door and fired two shots in the air as he stood on the ladder. Instantly the lions scurried off, their mouths filled with what they had been able to bite off. Lisbon sighed in relief, happy the animals hadn't even discovered them. Her worst fear had been that they would have been next.

"I'm going to head out for a while," Cho said, going crazy as time seemed to crawl by. Lisbon nodded without looking at him, focusing completely on Jane, whose breathing seemed to slow down. She didn't know if that was a good or a bad sign.

Finally he looked at her, his feverish eyes seeking hers.

"Hey … Teresa," Jane croaked, grasping Lisbon's hand. "Stop – stop feeling so damned guilty. You … saved me. You did fine. You did so well. I'm – I'm proud of you."

She watched him, surprised that he would talk like that. "Jane, save your voice."

"No … I have to … have to say this now …"

"Jane, don't, please."

"Lisbon, I love you. You kept me sane all of these … these years. Wit – without you I would have … h – have given up … long time ago. You're – you're my … closest friend." Jane stopped, coughing roughly, holding back a cry of pain as he did.

"Jane, stop talking. You'll be fine. I won't let you go. I love you too. Okay? You're crazy, insane sometimes and your ideas are crazy and I wouldn't want to miss you for a single day. I need your craziness." Tears fell from her eyes as she squeezed Jane's hand, pulling it up against her wet cheek.

Flecks of light seemed to dance in around the plane. She could see them approaching from behind the plane, onto the lonely road. Hope invaded her heart. "Jane – just don't leave us now. Okay? Hold on. They're nearly here. Can you see the lights? They found us."

Jane smiled a weary smile. "Tired, Lisbon."

"I know you are, but you can't sleep now. Come on, we didn't come this far for you to give up now."

Jane smiled, pulling her hand back to his face, kissing the back of it. "Thank … Thank you."

Outside Cho shouted as the rescue vehicles approached, their lights illuminating the entire area. "They're here. They're here!" she could hear him yell. "Boss, they're here!"

Lisbon could hear car doors slam, several voices speaking over each other, running footsteps. "Jane, they're here," she spoke relieved. "We're going to be okay!"

She looked down as her consultant didn't reply, realizing only then that his head had slumped to the side, his eyes were closed and he wasn't moving anymore.

"Jane … Oh god, Jane, don't do this to me." Lisbon could hear her own voice become hysterical, all the emotions of the past night finally taking over. "Cho," she shouted, "he's not breathing. I need help, _now_!"

Before she even realized what was happening, several men and women entered the cabin, pushed her gently aside and leaned over Jane. "Not breathing," she heard, "respiratory arrest. Get the breathing tube in. There is still a weak heartbeat."

Lisbon leaned back on one of the passenger seats, feeling just as weak as Jane and stared at the medical team concerning themselves over Jane. Only when she heard, "We've got him on oxygen, prepare for transport, the chopper will be here in about five minutes, did she feel a heavy weight lifting off her shoulders.

With shivering legs she stood upright, watching them as they brought in a gurney and carefully lifted Jane onto it, strapping him in and placing warm blankets over his body. She saw a tube sticking into his throat, attached to a respiratory device. Cho's IV was being replaced with a new needle, another saline bag and antibiotics.

One of the paramedics turned towards her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "He's going to be fine," he reassured her. "He'll make it. The two of you saved his life."

Carefully Jane was lifted out of the aircraft and placed into a medical helicopter, flown in from Palm Springs. Now it all went very quickly.

Lisbon's pale features weren't even capable of smiling anymore. The stress had gotten to her. It wasn't until Cho placed a blanket over her shoulders that she realized how cold she was. "It's over," he said quietly. "We made it."

Those words brought the waterfall of emotions back in motion. She turned to Cho who pushed her gently against his shoulder and allowed her to cry like she had never cried before.

Cho and Lisbon were taken on board the medical helicopter after a quick examination by one of the paramedics. They sat next to each other with two paramedics sitting on the other side of the gurney, monitoring Jane.

"Irregular heartbeat," they said out loud, "breathing is raspy and rapid. He'll need more fluids."

Sometimes they would lift Jane's eyelids and monitor his pupil movement, calling in the results to the Palm Springs hospital.

Lisbon leaned into Cho's shoulder, watching Jane. Now that the adrenaline kick was gone, she felt empty. Finally, the rocking movements of the helicopter made her fall asleep, only to awake with a bump as the chopper landed on the hospital's roof.

Then it all went even faster. Jane was lifted out and brought into the ER where several doctors and nursing staff were waiting, working on stabilizing him. After that, he was brought to surgery to repair the damage to his lung.

Lisbon bit her fingernails as she waited for more news, refusing treatment for her pounding ears and splitting headache. Van Pelt and Rigsby walked in, hugging her and Cho and bringing hot cups of coffee. Lisbon didn't say a single word as they waited, listening quietly to the chatter of her colleagues as they tried to bridge excruciating time.

One of the doctors finally left Jane's cubicle, walked over to Lisbon and introduced himself as Dr. Wills. "I'm very happy to see the three of you alive here," he said, shaking firm hands with Cho. "If you ever think about quitting the CBI, I have a job here for you."

Cho smiled wearily.

"Mr. Jane isn't out of the woods yet," Dr. Wills said. "As we feared, he's suffering from ARDS. Since his lung has been subjected to the broken ribs for some time, we felt it better to go in and see how bad the tissue has been damaged. The tube you put in saved his life though, without it, his lung would have collapsed completely and he would have suffocated. The surgery is actually quite minor but we need to monitor him in ICU to watch his vitals and see how fast he can breathe on his own again. That could take a day or two. We're hopeful though, Mr. Jane is a very strong man; otherwise he wouldn't have made it this far."

"Will this have lasting consequences?"

"We have to wait and see. Most people heal completely from a collapsed lung, in his case a lot depends on how he wakes up and recovers. We have to keep in mind that he has been left untreated for most of the night and that might play a factor into his recovery."

Lisbon took it all in and nodded quietly. Dr. Wills looked at her kindly. "Miss Lisbon, now is the time to take care of yourself. I'd like to check you out. Mr. Cho told me you are having hearing problems."

"I'm fine," Lisbon muttered.

"You don't look fine. Come on."

Lisbon finally allowed someone to take care of her. She followed the doctor into another cubicle where they let her lie down on a bed and examine her head.

"Your ears took quite a blow," Dr. Wills said. "Do they still hurt?"

"Not as much as before," she replied. "But they still ache."

"Your left eardrum is swollen, your right is torn. That must have been quite an explosion. How's the headache?"

"Fine."

"I'm going to order a few scans for you and I'd like to admit you to hospital. You need to strengthen up and get some fluids into you. A good rest will make you feel better immediately."

"Doctor, seriously, I'm fine. I just want to stay with Jane and be there when he wakes up."

"There's plenty of time for that, he won't wake up for at least half a day. That gives you plenty of time to rest up." With that, the conversation was closed. Lisbon reluctantly accepted the doctor's orders and allowed a nurse to help her undress into a hospital gown, clean her up and then move to another bed where an IV was inserted into her hand. Before she could say another word, she fell asleep – realizing she had been sedated before all the lights went out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven (epilogue)**

Hours later Lisbon woke up feeling much better and rested in a private room with drawn curtains. An IV was still dripping into her hand but other than that, there was nothing tying her down to her bed. Van Pelt rose from her chair as Lisbon woke. "You're back," Van Pelt said with a relieved smile. "You've slept quite a long time."

"What time is it?"

"About 5 p.m. They've done tests on your ears and scans on your head. You slept through it all. The damage to your ears should repair itself in the next few weeks; the doctor said you're going to be hearing a slight ringing tone for some time. No music, headsets or loud noises aloud. Fortunately you don't have a concussion."

"My headache is gone," Lisbon reacted surprised.

"They sedated you to allow your body to rest."

"Where are the others?" Lisbon asked, leaning back into her pillows. "Where/how is Jane?"

"He's doing quite well all-considering. They still have him on the ventilator though. Rigsby is dealing with the bodies in the desert, he drove up there with the police and coroner to retrieve them. Cho is with Jane."

"Is Cho alright?"

"Yeah, he's fine. He slept a couple of hours and looks as if nothing happened."

"That figures," Lisbon smiled. "If it weren't for him –"

"Don't say that too much to him," Van Pelt smiled. "The police were all over him, congratulating him and he took off. You know what Cho's like."

Lisbon laughed. "Can I see Jane?"

Van Pelt pushed a call button. "Let's ask."

A few minutes later a nurse, followed by a doctor, entered her room. Lisbon waited patiently until they examined her ears and asked questions about her headaches and her eyes. Satisfied, the doctor approved her release. The nurse brought a cup of soup and sandwiches that she devoured. It had been almost a day since she properly ate and she felt famished. Her IV was then removed and the nurse helped her out of bed, watching her as she stood firmly on her feet. She felt fine.

Van Pelt waited outside while Teresa dressed. Together they walked over to the small ICU where five patients lay hooked on machines. As they entered Jane's cubicle, Lisbon held her breath, staring at the many machines that monitored Jane. She was used to seeing this, but it still hurt.

Cho saw them and took Lisbon in his arms like he had done the night before. "You okay, boss?" he just asked.

She leaned into him, realizing that this past night had created a new bond of trust between all of them, having come so close to disaster. "I'm good. How are you?"

"Perfect," Cho grinned, smiling for the first time since it happened. He took a step backwards then and allowed her closer to the bed.

Jane's chest was bare, a new tube running out of it. A thick, stretchy bandage covered his entire torso, holding the broken ribs into place. There was a medical pad where he had been operated, covering the wound. His right arm was strapped against his chest. An IV was stuck in his hand, hooked onto three different bags, another drip pushed fresh blood into him. The ventilator was still in his throat. He looked as white as the sheets covering him. But his face was finally pain free. Lisbon hoped and prayed he wouldn't remember the excruciating pains he had been in on the aircraft, realizing at the same time that his brilliant mind would remember every single detail.

"It looks worse than it is," a nurse said, coming in with a chart and blood pressure equipment, checking his temperature and vitals. "The ARDS is under control; his lung is filling up again and doing fine. The broken ribs will take some time to heal but they won't cause any more problems. We're keeping his right arm elevated to release some of the pressure. When he's up and about, he'll have to wear a sling for some time. And his fevers have gone too, the antibiotics are working nicely."

Lisbon took it all in and just nodded, realizing once more how lucky they had been.

"Thank you," she just said.

"I'll get you some chairs."

"I'm going to grab some coffee," Cho said.

"I'm coming with you," Van Pelt reacted.

Before Lisbon could say anything, they had left, leaving her alone with a lot of machines and her consultant in between them. Mixed emotions washed over Lisbon as she relived the events of the previous night. She couldn't push her cold fears away, replaying it over and over again in her head.

Quietly she sat down and watched her sleeping friend for hours, her hand clutching the small cross lingering over her throat. If there was a God, he would have to listen to her. All the time, Jane didn't stir a single muscle.

Hours later, or so it seemed, when darkness had already fallen over Palm Springs and people were chanting 'Happy Birthday' to someone on the floor, movement came from the bed. The first thing she noticed was that his left hand was shaking. It moved up and down on the bed, his fingers tensing.

Then his head moved and she could tell he was trying to open his eyes. As he did, she saw fear and panic in them. "Jane," she said, jumping up so fast that her chair fell backwards with a loud smack on the tiled floor. "Jane, it's me. Stay calm."

She knew his instincts were telling him to fight the tube in his throat. Frantically she pushed the call button but nurses were already on their way, alarmed by the falling chair.

"Mr. Jane," a young blonde woman spoke, placing her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "You're in a hospital and we have a tube down your throat to help you breathe better. Don't fight it."

Jane made gurgling sounds, hating the tube inside of him but calmed down nonetheless.

A female doctor walked in and examined him. "Looks like he's back," she said with a smile in her voice. "Mr. Jane, I'm going to pull the tube out of your throat. It will feel strange. Try not to fight it as I pull it out, alright?"

Quickly and efficiently the nurse and doctor removed the tube from Jane's throat, replacing it with an oxygen tube under his nose. "There," the doctor said kindly, "much better, isn't it?"

Jane had difficulty talking. His throat felt raw and dry. The nurse placed an ice cube into his mouth, which he sucked on gratefully. He watched as they spoke amongst themselves, checking the bandages on his chest, taking and discussing his vitals.

"It seems the worst has passed," the doctor said to Lisbon with a smile. "Fever is down, heartbeat is regular, breathing is returning to normal. If this keeps up, we can transfer him in the morning."

"That's fantastic news, doctor," Lisbon spoke, a smile finally forming on her stressed face. "Can I stay here tonight?"

"Miss Lisbon, why don't you go home and get some rest? You look exhausted."

Lisbon smiled. "Thank you but I'm fine. I am staying right here."

The doctor nodded, leaning over Jane. "You're very lucky to have someone that looks out for you like her."

Jane delivered the perfect smile as he looked at Lisbon and replied, "Yes, I am."

As they were left alone, she reached for his left hand and squeezed it. "We look out for each other," she said softly.

He brought her hand to the side of his face and closed his eyes as she leaned forward and kissed his forehead, knowing they had made it through another day.

For now, that was more than enough.

The End


End file.
